Vehicles may include a body panel. The body panel may include, but is not limited to an air skirt disposed along a lower front edge of the vehicle. The body panel includes a frontal portion that defines an inlet. The body panel further defines an outlet disposed longitudinally rearward of the inlet along a longitudinal axis of the vehicle. A duct connects the inlet with the outlet in fluid communication. When the vehicle is moving, air is forced through the inlet, flows through the duct and exits through the outlet. Air flowing through the duct will alter the aerodynamic performance of the vehicle, i.e., it changes the flow field of air around a lower front corner of the body which can result in specific performance benefits. These benefits may include improved fuel economy, improved stability, improved handling and/or improved subsystem air cooling.
If the body panel is equipped with a light engine, such as a daytime running lamp and/or a fog lamp, the light engine is disposed directly behind the frontal portion. Because of the vertical space constraints of the vehicle, the duct and the light engine are disposed relative to the vehicle at about the same vertical elevation. Accordingly, the duct must extend behind and wrap around the light engine. When the duct is so configured, the airflow through the duct is diminished, thereby reducing the effectiveness of the body panel.